Chhattisgarh seeks Rs 800 cr waiver

Raipur, Jan 19 (Agencies): Reeling under Maoist militancy for about three decades, Chhattisgarh has sought Rs.800 crore waiver, after the Centre asked the state to meet the expenditure incurred on para-military troopers deployed in the state.

"The expenditure incurred by the Central government on central para-military forces (CPMF) deployed in the state to fight Maoist militancy has shot up to Rs.800 crore. It has asked the state to bear the amount, the state can't afford it," a home department official said.

He added that the cost of CPMF deployment should be met by the Central government. Chief Minister Raman Singh will talk to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee specifically on this later this week in New Delhi and will pitch for a complete waiver of the amount.

"Raman Singh had previously raised the CPMF expenditure amount issue with the Central government. An insurgency-hit small state can't afford such kind of expenditure, we are sure that the Central government will not insist us to meet expenditure incurred by it towards CPMF deployment," the official informed.

Officials at police headquarters here said that roughly 25,000 central para-military troopers are being deployed in the state, mainly in tribal Bastar region, to fight rising Leftist insurgency.Maoists rule the roost since late 1980s in forested interiors of a mineral-rich Bastar region made up of five districts - Bijapur, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bastar and Kanker.

Chhattisgarh Police chief Vishwaranjan admitted that Maoists have laid landmines in about 25,000 sq km area out of Bastar's total 40,000 sq km.